Lyme Disease

A new report states the risk of Lyme disease is rapidly growing. Minnesota is one of 17 that carry the highest risk for Lyme disease in the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are more high-risk areas in Minnesota than before.

Summer vacation and these summer-like temperatures have a lot of families heading outdoors. As people venture out, the threat of deer ticks and Lyme disease are always there — but scientists say it’s not just Lyme disease that deer ticks are known for anymore.

Changes occurring in Minnesota’s climate could have harmful effects on human health, including increased allergies and cases of Lyme Disease, according to a new report from the Minnesota Department of Health.

We aren’t the only ones to survive the latest round of brutal winters — turns out, the heavy snow and frigid temperatures actually helped the survival of ticks that can carry disease, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Struggling to get above zero is less than ideal, especially when you spend more time getting dressed for the weather than actually being in it. But believe it or not, the cold does have some health benefits. We have the flu bug, but no other bugs to deal with, according to Dr. Christina Manders, a family physician with Fairview Clinics in Savage. “We don’t see Lyme disease, we don’t see West Nile. So tick-borne infections, mosquito-borne infections are not a factor,” Manders said.

Cabin country in Minnesota and western Wisconsin is considered ground zero for one of the fastest growing infectious diseases: Lyme disease. Cases in both states are among the highest in the country, but the controversy surrounding how to treat the tick-borne disease is growing. It’s torn families apart and pit patients against mainstream medicine.

It has been nearly a year since a 5-year-old boy went missing during one of the hottest days of summer. Last July, Scott Meyer snuck out the front door of his house in western Wisconsin and ran off. Because he is non-verbal with autism, hundreds turned out to try to find him. A search volunteer and his dog discovered Scott the next day after he’d spent a night in the nearby woods.

If you’re just returning from a trip to the cabin, you know summer tick season is in full swing. With that comes the threat of infection, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Minnesota is one of the leading states for tick infection.

Memorial Day weekend has passed, which means the summer is unofficially underway. Officials said that means tick season isn’t far away, and some said ticks are already back in full force. Ticks thrive in hot, wet weather, and they can carry Lyme Disease.

Political reporter Pat Kessler shares a health scare that could happened to anyone. It was something that made him so sick, that he doesn’t remember much of his trip to the hospital and even his doctors were worried.